News Releases

Date: June 12, 2007

Contacts:

Mn/DOT installing new technology to keep ice away, drivers safer in Alexandria and Barnesville

Additional sites follow successful first season at Hibbing

MINNEAPOLIS – Summer is almost here and that means Minnesota motorists should no longer need to worry about icy or snowy roadways.  But for state transportation officials it’s already time to start looking ahead at how to make next winter’s driving season safer.

This summer, the Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) will install new technology designed to help increase safety and mobility on roads and bridges at additional test sites in Minnesota.  The technology, called SafeLane ™ Surface Overlay, is a patented combination of epoxy and aggregate that acts like a rigid sponge, storing anti-icing chemicals inside, then automatically releasing them as snow and ice conditions develop.  It also provides superior friction, giving drivers better traction year-round.

SafeLane overlay will be installed during the week of June 18 (weather permitting) on the east and westbound I-94 bridges one mile east of Alexandria.  It will be applied to 13,685 square feet of surface.

“These bridges were selected because they have above average crash rates,” says Lee Berget, District Engineer, Mn/DOT District 4.  “Mn/DOT’s installation of SafeLane overlay technology is designed to reduce crashes at this site and improve safety and mobility.” In addition, Mn/DOT plans to install SafeLane overlay near Barnesville on the I-94 bridges at Exit 22 beginning June 25.  The Barnesville project will also feature a first-of-its kind application of SafeLane technology as an inlay placed directly into the wheel tracks on the roadway leading to and from the bridge deck.  The goal is to provide improved traction and anti-icing benefits as vehicles approach and leave the bridge.  Each project will take about 10 days to complete.  Last year, Mn/DOT installed SafeLane overlay on the Highway 169 Mitchell Bridge near Hibbing. 

SafeLane overlay, licensed and marketed by Minnesota-based Cargill, works in this way:  prior to a winter storm, Mn/DOT plow truck operators will “charge” the overlay with their standard anti-icing chemicals.  The overlay stores the chemicals inside, automatically releasing them to help prevent frost or ice from forming on the bridge surface.  Plus, it keeps releasing the anti-icing chemicals over multiple events.  

“SafeLane can extend the life of roads and bridges by acting as a sealant to reduce the effects of chloride and water intrusion.  More importantly, it can reduce crashes and save lives,” says Bob Persichetti, general manager for SafeLane™ Surface Overlay.

For the past two years, Cargill has commissioned leading ice and snow control expert Dr. Wilfrid Nixon to analyze SafeLane overlay’s winter performance.  In his just-completed 2006-2007 report, Nixon, president of Asset Insight Technologies and professor of engineering at the University of Iowa, concludes that “there is now two years of consistent evidence that improved performance by SafeLane overlay under winter conditions…does indeed translate into safety improvements for the traveling public.” 

Nixon’s 2005-2006 performance report found no weather-related crashes at any of the nine SafeLane overlay test sites then in place.  Although cautioning that safety studies need to be conducted over a number of years to yield statistically significant results, the 2006-2007 report again found dramatic accident reduction rates among the 26 road and bridge test sites reporting data.  Copies of the report are posted at www.cargillsafelane.com.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international provider of food, agricultural and risk management products and services. With 149,000 employees in 63 countries, the company is committed to using its knowledge and experience to collaborate with customers to help them succeed. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.